DOT rolls out 24/7 tourist call center

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 2) — The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Monday rolled out its 24/7 Tourist Assistance Call Center based in Angeles, Pampanga to address queries and concerns of travelers nationwide.

So far, the system has eight tourist assistance agents but DOT Secretary Christina Frasco said they may add more if needed.

«The convenience of the traveler must be the central focus of our efforts and programs,» the secretary said.

«We do not wish for our tourists to just come to the Philippines or go around the Philippines once but to come back again and again because they love the Philippines, and they love their experience of visiting our destinations,» she added.

Tourists may now seek travel assistance and file travel complaints through:

— Landline (151-TOUR / 151-8687)

— Mobile phone (+63995-835-5155)

— Email ([email protected])

— Facebook messenger (Department of Tourism)

— Web chat (https://philippines.travel/ or https://beta.tourism.gov.ph/)

According to Frasco, agents underwent several trainings on destination policies, culture, and service excellence, among others.

Frasco added that they used live agents instead of artificial intelligence (AI) for the system because one of the Philippines' best assets is the Filipino people's rapport.

She said that before the call center's launch, tourists don't know who to reach out to when they encounter problems.

During the launch, the tourism chief tried to call the hotlines to show how the tourist assistance agents handle travel-related concerns.

On Sept. 29, the DOT recorded more than four million visitors since the beginning of the year, nearing the agency's target of 4.8 million visitors from abroad this year.

From January 1 to September 29, a total of 4,005,465 foreign nationals and overseas Filipinos have arrived in the Philippines, it added.